Research & Scholarly Achievement
at Gallaudet University

Experiences of LGBTQIA-Identified Faculty in Biology Classrooms

ID:

3061

Status:

Completed

Start date:

September

2015

End Date:

December

2018

Description

Individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) make up an estimated 3.6% of the overall U.S. population. As a group, LGBTQIA individuals have been thought to be historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), but few empirical studies have been done. We know very little about LGBTQIA instructors in STEM. This study seeks to understand what LGBTQIA biology faculty perceive to be advantages, disadvantages, barriers, challenges, benefits, and opportunities of coming out on campus and the role of their identity in their professional lives.